Is it some seductive, exotic attraction that makes Americans look south to their Latin neighbours? There have been periods — especially the Fifties — when the music of Cuba and the Caribbean even invaded America’s airwaves, so you have to recognize its importance. The United States totally appropriated Latin culture, and absorbed it like it was a Broadway musical: with elegance, distinction, humour and… a relaxed attitude.

- “This is one of those albums I am glad to have heard” par Blues & RhythmMel Tormé, Franck Sinatra, Rosemary Clooney, Julie London, Ertha Kitt, Bing Crosby… aren’t these the kind of artists that we rejected in favour of the blues? They are all here, along with the likes of Nat “King” Cole supplying one still enduring definition of cool. The idea behind the set is to show how Latin music Invaded America, particularly in the 1950s – of course, much of this music is “Latin-Lite”, a laid-back tinge of the exotic added to a mainstream artist’s repertoire. It was obviously effective though – I can clearly recall my parents singing snatches of numerous of these tracks around the house when I was a kid. Mind you, it is notable that when Chano Pozzo (sic) tums up with James Moody on “Tin Tin Deo”, the music immediately becomes a little fierier, and Slam add some welcome humour courtesy of “Ti-Pi-Tim”, even if Chuck Berry’s “La Jaunda” does fit in perfectly with the prevailing ethos. Personal taste, of course… Of course, it is necessary to look at this kind of music to understand how Latin music reached its present popularity in America – rather as listening to The Andrews Sisters “rum And Coca-Cola” is necessary to put the international popularity of calypso into context. In fact, that track is here, as the point of the album is in fact look at American popular music’s love affair with music from “south of the border” (or several borders), so also included are tracks by Harry Belafonte, who sounds positively rootsy in this company, with ten titles demonstrating his rather smooth take on calypso and mento. Also illustrating mento and calypso are five titles by film star Robert Mitchum, perhaps a bit more listenably than might be expected, though I’m not too sure about the wisdom of his singing about “yankees” and “West Indians” on “Jean And Dinah”. Overall though, this is one of those albums I am glad to have heard, but I probably won’t be playing it again any time soon. And in the case of Jon Hendricks “The Duck” not ever again…Par Norman DARWEN – BLUES & RHYTHM